Recent discovery by Israeli specialist, Aaron Avivi, has been hailed as radical and life-changing, after his team found that cells from the blind mole rat and its cousin, the naked mole rat, secrete a substance that destroys cancer cells in mammals, including humans.
Experts believe harvesting this substance and making it safe to digest could wipe out a disease that kills about two million people worldwide every year.
Blind mole rats outlive other rodents by about 20 years, with no outward signs of ageing.
Furthermore, researchers have never identified a cancerous tumour on any of these rats. The study, which was published in the BMC Biological Journal notes: “Blind mole rats are resistant to spontaneous cancer but also to experimentally induced cancer.”
This shows unique ability of the blind mole rat to inhibit growth and kill cancer cells, but not the normal cells.
“If this research can help us identify what genetic changes have occurred in the blind mole rat, it can modify humans’ genetic codes and anti-cancer mechanisms then it will be a potentially life-saving and life-changing treatment,” notes Professor Sam Ahmedzia, an acclaimed cancer care specialist.
This research and the potential results bring hope to millions of people across the world. In the meantime cancer remains among the most dangerous non-communicable diseases that are giving public health professionals sleepless nights across the world.
In Botswana, there were more than 14 000 cancer cases registered between 1998 and 2012. The Botswana National Cancer Registry states that of the 14 668 registered cancer cases between 1998 and 2012, about 28 percent succumbed to the disease. That is about 4 070 people.
The most common type of cancer in Botswana is cervical cancer (2062 cases registered in 2012), followed by skin, breast and cancer of the eyes. Mortality is higher among males (53 percent) than females (47 percent).
Despite these bleak statistics, there remains a challenge of assessing treatment although there is a health post in an 8km radius of most urban areas. There are few oncologists, probably three for the approximately 2 million population.
Cervical cancer is largely believed to be caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). There are more than 40 strands of HPV in existence.
Since there is no HPV test for men, it is easily spread. Worse still, it rarely has any symptoms, except in some cases where warts develop in the private parts.
The dangerous types of HPV are said to be HPV 16 and 18, which can be picked up during routine pap smears. The cervix is situated on the lower part of the uterus/womb. It connects the body of the uterus to the vagina (birth canal). The top tip of the cervix is called the endorcervix and this is where the cancer is believed to start.
It is often best to seek medical attention regularly, through regular pap smears (preferably annually). If abnormal cells are found on the cervix, a series of measures can be taken to ensure they don’t cancerous.
Although the symptoms take long to manifest, when at an advanced stage, cervical cancer is disastrous and often leads to a slow painful death.
The good news is that it is preventable and can be treated when diagnosed early. However, there are challenges in dealing with cervical cancer still abound on the ground.
Firstly, there are about only three gynecologists in the public health service, to attend to cervical cancer patients. Secondly, there are only two health posts that deal with cervical matters, one in Gaborone and the other in Francistown.
To date, patients must travel to Palapye to the women’s reproduction and health centre, which deals primarily with such issues. The cost of travel and the long time it takes to receive assistance can de-motivate many women who take initiative to seek medical attention.
Some women think the test, which takes less than five minutes, is painful. However, medical practitioners urged women to frequent their local health posts for the test.
Atlang Mookedi* benefited from the vinegar swab test last year.
“I didn’t know much about cervical cancer before but after I experienced stabbing pains in my womb area, lower stomach and spotting, the nurse from my local clinic suggested that I go for a pap smear.
“The results revealed that I had cancerous cells. I was immediately put on treatment and have been on it since. The aim is to clear all the cancer cells and ensure all of them are normal.
“It’s a financially and emotionally draining procedure but that’s all I can do to live and get back into good health. I just wish I would have known about the test earlier because they got it too late,” she says. Atlang is passionate about getting the correct message to women out there.
“Most women think it’s an issue for other people but cancer affects anyone, rich, poor, tall, short, good looking or not, educated or uneducated. It’s critical to be armed with knowledge and be empowered by having regular tests and leading a healthy fit lifestyle,” she emphasises.
According to the Cancer Association of Botswana website, family history and age play a role in the risk of cervical cancer but women can minimise their chances of contracting cervical cancer by changing their diet to include more vegetables and fruits, quitting smoking (which increases risk by two-fold), reducing weight if overweight and treating sexually transmitted infections like Chlamydia quickly, as long-term infection causes pelvic inflammation which in turn contributes to cervical cancer.
Other risk factors include having sex from an early age, having many sexual partners, a partner who had many partners, or having sexual intercourse with a man who is uncircumcised.
Condoms are said to not completely eliminate risk, or entirely protect against HPV infection as it can be passed on through the skin, or the genital and anal area.
Foreign donors and the Health Ministry encourage pap smears, and disseminate information which integrates messages of reproductive health.
In 2012, former president of the United States of America George W. Bush visited Botswana. During his brief stay, he announced a new multi-million dollar initiative to step up cervical cancer screenings.
Last year, the Ministry of Health spearheaded the ‘See and Treat’ programmes.
A vinegar test is used on women to identify cancerous cells. A swab with vinegar is placed at the beginning of the cervix, and from observing the changes on the swab; one can identify cervical changes on the spot. This also eliminates the difficulty of tracking down women once their results have returned from the laboratories several months later with signs of cervical cancer.
So what exactly is causing the increased rate of cervical cancer among women in the past two decades?
Researchers and medical practitioners agree that lifestyle contributes to cervical cancer. Nowadays, many women smoke cigarettes, consume more alcohol, eat foods high in sugars, saturated fats and salts, especially junk food, lead sedentary lives and may have multiple sexual partners.
Furthermore research also points out that cervical cancer could be caused by irritants to the cervix like douches (chemical agents and products used for hygiene and sexual enhancement purposes). Although these factors are not medically not acknowledged but are socially problematic, and have brought attention to medical researchers to follow up on the matter.
A medical practitioner at a local clinic, who preferred anonymity, pointed out that apart from diet, smoking, and sexual partners, many women put products that apparently improve vaginal hygiene in their private parts, or use traditional medicines assumed to make them “tighter” or more desirable to their lovers.
“What many women seem to forget is that the vagina is self-cleansing as it is….All one needs to use is clean water without soap or other products? The bacteria in the vagina maintain the PH levels and ensure that it’s clean.
“Also, women who feel that their vaginal muscles have weakened should practice the Kegel exercises. They are natural, safe and can be done anywhere. Like all other parts, the vagina is a muscle and must be exercised. However, putting in products inside it is a cause of problems, it’s like expecting to lose weight and keep it off through drinking some powder. To shed weight and keep it off you must eat right and exercise. The same applies to the vaginal area; practice good hygiene, eat right, avoid smoking, and exercise regularly,” she explains.
She adds that more and more young women below the age of 40 are being diagnosed with cervical cancer, which is a cause for alarm, especially as traditionally, Batswana are embarrassed to discuss intimate matters with strangers like health providers.
